1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paint roller for use in connection with hand painting the walls of a house or structure. The paint roller has particular utility in rolling the corner of a wall without getting paint on the adjacent perpendicular surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of paint rollers are desirable over paint brushes due to their speed, convenience, and the overall results obtained from their use. For example, when painting a room in one's house, the large area of the walls and ceiling can be painted quickly with a paint roller, with only the corners offering some difficulty. Often the painter is slowed down by the need to brush the corners first and then roll up to the brushed area in order to prevent paint on the end of the roller from getting on to the adjacent perpendicular wall. Using both a roller and brush can cause the undesirable visible condition that the texture of the brush is different from that of the roller. Even worse is the case where the two adjoining walls are painted a different color, where it is not acceptable for any of the paint to get on the adjacent wall, ceiling, or other surface.
The use of paint rollers is well known in the prior art, with some addressing the problem of rolling in corners discussed earlier. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,832 to Irven discloses an edge paint roller that specifically addresses the issue of painting in corners using an angled end portion of the roller. However, the paint roller disclosed in this patent has a fixed built-in angle, and cannot automatically adjust to an application.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,891 to Benson and U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,740 to Buns et al. disclose paint rollers that have a removable edge guard, which can be attached for painting corners. However, the thickness of these shields and the gap between the shield and the end of the roller prevents the ability to paint all the way into a corner. This approach also has the further drawback of paint collecting on the shield and eventually spreading on to the adjacent perpendicular surface.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,769 to Torntore discloses a power roller with an edger device that applies a removable cap on the outer end of the roller to prevent paint from being applied outwardly from the end of the roller. However, there is nothing to prevent the outside surface of this cap or edger device from building up paint, which is then transferred to the adjacent perpendicular surface.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,264 to Knowles discloses a paint roller corner cover, which covers the end of the roller. However, the purpose of the cover disclosed in this patent is to paint around the corner, as compared to painting up to a corner without getting paint on the adjacent perpendicular wall.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a paint roller that can automatically adjust for painting in various shaped corners while keeping paint off any adjacent surfaces. It might appear that the outer end of a conventional paint roller could be cut at an angle and used for painting in corners, but as the roller turns this would paint a sinusoidal line in the corner as compared to a desired straight line. Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved paint roller with a simple and inexpensive corner mechanism that can be used for painting large surfaces and corners, without applying paint to the adjacent surfaces. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the paint roller according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of applying paint in corners, while keeping paint off adjacent perpendicular surfaces. The present patent discloses a roller that has a simple swivel end cap, which automatically swivels to the required angle for painting corners, thereby preventing the transfer of paint on to any undesired surfaces.